Albert Road Retrofit

The objective was to reinvent the existing building to suit the living requirements of the customers and their young family by creating a family home based on a functional layout. From the outset they wanted an energy-efficient home that would take advantage of passive energy through natural light and some passive solar gain.

It retained some surviving Victorian period features, however the building fabric was in poor condition overall with dampness, rotting timbers, delaminating plaster and poor thermal performance. The design brief also included renovating the original part of the house retaining the period features and adding a new contemporary extension to the rear giving additional living space and delivering a high level of sustainability. The end result was required not to compromise the long-term performance of the historical fabric.

The building was brought from the lowly F-rating to a B1 energy rating, while the future addition of small area of photovoltaic panels will achieve an A3 rating. The completed family home incorporating ISOVER Vario membranes and tapes, OPTIMA Dry Lining system and Metac insulation, is a healthy building. It is extremely well insulated and ventilated and has inherently low running costs.

There is a clear distinction between the old and new elements, with the new extension to the rear being distinctly contemporary. The primary concerns were to do with conservation of the period elements that survived and retaining the character of the street contrasting in the rear where the work was ultra-modern, while also using the latest technologies to create a future-proofed house.